Reading Time: 5 minutes EDITOR’S NOTE: this story contains graphic content. Glacier FarmMedia – Ukrainian farmer Yuriy Vovchenko survived the Russian occupation and constant shelling for eight months, but his life has changed immeasurably. I have known him for many years, and since the invasion I have wanted to phone him many times but each time I dialled, I […] Read more
‘Everything was destroyed:’ One farmer’s tale of the Russia invasion
His farm and village are in ruins, but Yuriy Vovchenko’s focus is on somehow planting a crop next spring
McDonald’s reported set to exit Kazakhstan on Russia war spillover
Reuters — McDonald’s Corp. is set to abandon Kazakhstan as disruptions triggered by the Ukraine crisis have left the nation without a substitute for Russian meat supplies, Bloomberg News reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The fast-food giant, which exited Russia in May, banned its local franchisee from procuring meat patties from Russian […] Read more
From the best to the worst, it’s the year told in verse
It’s a year-end tradition done with contrition, a light-hearted review for you to go through
Reading Time: 3 minutes As longtime readers know, what we do each year first isReview the one that’s just past, but do it in doggerel (bad verses)A look back to review things is usually a good practice gainfulBut this year it’s one that feels kind of painfulUps and downs for farmers here seem only a piffleCompared to those in […] Read more
Ship insurers to cancel war cover for Russia, Ukraine from Jan. 1
London | Reuters — Ship insurers said they are cancelling war risk cover across Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, following an exit from the region by reinsurers in the face of steep losses. Reinsurers, who insure the insurers, typically renew their 12-month contracts with insurance clients on Jan. 1, giving them the first opportunity to scale […] Read more
Report from Ukraine: Watermelons and raccoons — there’s still laughter amidst the tears
The people of Ukraine are coping with adversity any way they can as winter’s grip deepens
Reading Time: 4 minutes I can imagine how Canadians feel when they watch news from Ukraine. Not long ago, we in Ukraine watched reports from Iraq and Syria, and it seemed to us like a broadcast from another planet — a planet of cruelty and destruction. Now we live on this planet. To maintain a healthy mind, we have […] Read more
Corteva cuts U.S. jobs while exiting Russia
California plant produces seed for sunflower growers
Chicago | Reuters — Seeds and pesticides company Corteva will eliminate U.S. jobs next year, as its exit from Russia reduces demand for its commercial sunflower seeds produced in California, the company said on Monday. Corteva will cut 51 positions from a Woodland, California facility, run by its Pioneer Hi-Bred International subsidiary, that supplied Europe […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, wheat futures fall on fund selling
Soybean futures rise
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and wheat futures dipped on Friday, with concerns about a weakening global economy deterring traders from extending gains made earlier this week. “Fund managers continue to interpret their supply and demand fundamentals through a lens coloured by recession fears,” Arlan Suderman, chief commodities economist at brokerage StoneX, said in […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybean futures rise
Chicago wheat, corn values fall
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures rose on Tuesday, supported by a round of bargain buying after two days of losses as well as signs that export demand remains strong, traders said. Corn and wheat futures weakened on a round of profit taking after hitting 10-day highs early in the session, with light demand […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat, corn up on Black Sea export concerns
Chicago January soy falls
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat and corn futures rallied on Monday after a weekend attack that temporarily shut down key port for Ukrainian exports raised concerns about disruptions to grain shipments, traders said. Soybean futures dropped following rains in Argentina that alleviated concerns about crop shortfalls from that key export country. News that the […] Read more
Belarus to allow Ukraine grain transit with no preconditions, U.N. says
Belarus still wants sanctions lifted off fertilizer
United Nations | Reuters — Belarus told the United Nations on Friday that it would allow, without preconditions, the transit of grain from Ukraine through its territory for export from Lithuanian ports, a U.N. spokesman said. Belarus, used by its ally Russia as a staging ground for Moscow’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, said in […] Read more